Memorable Moment Age-Up

"Mother? I brought some food! Uh... Well... I don't think it's the best food, but it's something to eat! I...think..." Oceania dragged in the dead...whatever it was. Oceania had never seen this creature before, it was large for its size, and it had thick fluffy black and white fur throughout. It even had a large fluffy tail! She found it on the outskirts of the forest near some weird massive stones that soared into the sky.

Oceania figured that it was some human settlements, since that's what her mother had mentioned before, that humans made massive stone structures. Oceania didn't know why they did that, or where they are now, all that she knew was that she found this creature by the structure. It smelt funky and she could tell it wasn't in the best condition but-

Oceania flinched as her mother coughed so roughly that it echoed in the cave that they lived in. Oh, that sounded painful, very painful.

"A-Are you okay, mother? Do you need some more water-"

"No, no, Oceania... Come here. I need to speak to you..."

The Albertosaurus didn't like this, her little paws fiddling with each other as she scooted closer to her mother and sat down beside her. Her long tail curled around the small and fragile body of her mother.

"I... I love you...don't you forget that... I love you...so much... More than there are stars in the sky... I'll always be watching over you... I'll always be here...even if I'm not physically here-"

"Mother... You're talking like that again... You promised me before that you won't talk like that..."

"Yes... I did..." Her mother gave a weak smile.

For a while now, Oceania's mother has become sick and her condition has not improved. In fact, it has gotten worse, much worse. At first, Oceania thought that her sickly condition would be a phase, and she'll be right back to her cheery self in no time! But...staring at her mother now... The fact that she can't even lift her body up. The fact that it's difficult for her to chew, let alone swallow any food. The fact that she was so weak that she could barely lift her paw up...

In the back of her mind, Oceania knew. She knew her mother wasn't ever going to get better. She would keep fading away until...there would be nothing left. However, she kept wanting to be in denial, she kept wanting to shield herself from those thoughts, and she kept wanting to hope and pray that her mother would get better.

But it was all for nothing, and she knew that.

"But this time... I don't think I'll make it to see tomorrow...my sweet girl... I would rather say this...to you now...before I go-"

"No! You promised me that you'll keep fighting! You can't leave! You're not done fighting yet, I can tell! I-"

"Oceania." No matter how sickly her mother is, the moment her voice hardens like that, it always shuts Oceania's mouth up.

"I know I promised you... But... I think I'm done fighting... I love you... And I want to keep fighting... But my body can't take it any longer... It's only a matter of time before... Before... Well... You know what I mean... I've tried to prepare you as much as I can before I leave... I don't think I've done a good enough job but... I tried... Please... When you grow older...don't resent me for that... I'm sorry...I didn't do well enough... I'm sorry... I didn't teach you everything...before I went. I'm sorry... I failed in raising you."

By the time her mother had finished talking, Oceania was quietly sniffling. Tears were coming down her cheeks and softly falling into her mother's body. She couldn't help it, she could feel that...their time was nearing an end. It's finally here. Whether Oceania tried to deny it or not. The time has come.

"Oh... My baby girl..."

Oceania hiccuped as she felt a frail and shaky paw reach towards her chin. Her mother's paw was so frail by now that...it felt like the air was touching her face. She sobbed as she reached up to hold her mother's paw on her chin.

"W-Was it me?" Oceania hiccuped, "Did I not do... A good enough job...taking care of you? Is that why your body...can't handle it anymore-"

"No, no, no, baby... No... You did a wonderful job taking care of me. A perfect job...if I dare say... You did it perfectly... You are perfect... It's not you... Just...my body has run its course... And it's time for me to say goodbye... I love you...don't you forget that... Okay?"

Oceania sniffled, she gave a shaky nod as she suddenly jumped forward...so she could give her mother one last hug.

"Y-You...are perfect...too, mother! You're perfect too! T-Thank you! Thank you...for being such a great mother! I'll never forget you! I'll never forget...what you've done for me! I love you too! I love you...so so so much! I love you!!"

She felt weak paws on her neck, and that made her sob even harder on her mother.

"I love you...more than all the stars...in the sky... My baby girl..."

"I-I love you...more than...all the sand on this beach! I love you...more than anything in the lands!"

"Oceania... I have two more requests for you... I know...this will be hard for you... But when I go... Could you put my body...out to sea? I want you...to look out in the ocean...and always remember me... I want to be one...with the ocean...can you do that...for me?"

"A-Anything!! Anything at all! I'll do it, Mother! For you! I'll do anything for you, mother!"

"Good... I'm glad... Oh... And be a good girl... Always be a good girl... Even if...the world is mean to you...always treat it with kindness back... Never forget...who you are inside... Never forget...who you are... Never forget... Never...forget... I love you..."

Oceania continued to cry and hiccup through her mother's words. But when her mother didn't say anything after saying those last few words, she thought that was suspicious. Her pale orange eyes glanced up at her mother's face.

"M-Mother?"

Nothing.

Her mother's eyes are closed. And...she couldn't hear her labored breathing any longer. Underneath Oceania's paws, she could feel her mother's chest no longer rising up and down like it used to.

There was nothing.

Only silence.

"Mother?" Oceania shook her mother's body, and still nothing. She even shook her mother's chin to try and wake her up, but nothing.

"No!!! No!!! Mother!!! You had promised too that we'd be together forever!!! You can't leave me!! Mother!! Come back, mother!!! Come back!!!"

She continued to try and wake her mother up, but nothing she was doing was succeeding. Her mother was gone. She could never hear her mother's voice again. She could never hear her mother's laughter again. Never again.

She sobbed and cried on her mother's stiff body for what felt like hours. She has no idea how long she lay there sobbing her eyes out. She cried until her body couldn't produce any more tears.

By the time she had stopped crying, however, she could hear something outside their cave-

It's raining.

Even the skies are crying for her mother.

Several more hours passed and she was drifting in and out of sleep. Her once vibrant and colorful eyes were now soulless and sorrowful. She wanted to lay here forever with her mother, even if her mother wasn't here anymore. She didn't want to leave her.

But...she had to fulfill her mother's last wish. She has to carry her mother's body out to the ocean. It can't stay here with her, no matter how much she would love that.

And so, she grabbed the large palm tree leaves that she had placed under her mother for some bedding, and started pulling it out of the cave.

Despite the situation, one thing was good about her mother being so ill and sick for so long, she was extremely easy to pull. She hardly felt like anything as the little sniffling Albertosaurus pulled the body of her dead mother out to the ocean.

She could feel the harsh rain battering against her pelt and body. Even the winds were almost strong enough to push her small body around. But, Oceania stood strong as her paws dug into the familiar sand. Her pale eyes glanced out to the ocean, and she noticed how wild the waves were out there.

Distantly, she wished that since the waves were so wild in this storm, it would take her mother out far into the ocean before dropping her into the sea. She could only hope.

Oceania's paws sank into the dark waters as she pulled her mother fully into the ocean. Wow, the palm leaves were able to keep her mother's body afloat, perfectly. So her wish may become true after all.

She placed her paw on her mother's chest, "Goodbye, mother. I'll see you again... It just may take a while... Until then... I hope you'll continue to watch over me, yeah? I'll... I'll miss you... Mother... Thank you...for everything..."

And with that, she gave the palms one last push, and as she stood there in knee-high waters watching her mother's body float off into the crazy waves, Oceania sucked in a breath...and screamed at the top of her lungs.

But her scream died out in the heavy winds, leaving silence behind.